Anyone else still stuck in "Lockdown Mode"

Posted by throwback842@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 328 comments

It's coming up on 6 years since the Covid outbreak. Like many others, I learned to entertain and enrich myself through hobbies/remote work/cleaning/etc but my life never seemed to move past it. I just landed my first in-person, full-time job since 2020. Starts in January and it's a big accomplishment since I've been unemployed for 15 months. It's gonna be a hell of an adjustment so I was wondering: Is anyone else still in lockdown mode? Living and working from home for the past 6 years? Anyone recently transitioned back into public successfully? Any tips for someone in their 40s rejoining the public?

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Awkwardpanda75@reddit

It was a really tough transition for me. Something weird happened over Covid; I had my first panic attack while driving. Speeding through traffic on the highway. The panic attacks got more frequent while driving and my world got even smaller. After I got laid off, I took a job in person and had to force my way through the panic attacks and back to normalcy so I could have a paycheck. It all worked out in the end but I would give anything to get my remote job back. I love my job but it’s running a retail store. The hours suck and I’m always exhausted. I’ve also become extremely crochety with others in public when I’m on my own time. Everything annoys me about other people just meandering through the store with not an ounce of urgency, stopping in front of me at the exit to read their receipts with zero regard for the people trying to exit behind them, reaching in front of me when I’m picking an item out of the case, bumping into me like I’m invisible. Sorry for the rant, this just happened this morning so the wound is still fresh.

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Natural-Hospital-140@reddit

Have you gotten any medical support for those panic attacks? Can confirm panic attacks and anxiety attack suck ASS, and most people grit their teeth and don’t get medical help for a decade post-onset. And there’s a lot of collateral damage in the meantime. Hoping you have access to the very useful pharmaceutical tools and therapeutic supports that you deserve, for whenever you decide to use them.

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Awkwardpanda75@reddit

Oh yes, I sought therapy when they first happened, meds, the whole thing. Funny enough, I got laid off at the end of 23 and didn’t have health care insurance for a while so went rogue. The teeth gritting was what pushed me through (baby steps driving down the street, then across town, across a big bridge that triggered one , etc.) it wasn’t easy but I haven’t had a panic attack while driving in about 6 months.

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sorrymizzjackson@reddit

I also developed panic attacks. Knock on wood, they’ve started to dissipate. The past 5 years have been rough though.

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Awkwardpanda75@reddit

I thought I was having a heart attack on the first one. What a crazy thing to come on in your 40’s for sure!!

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Checktheusernombre@reddit

I feel like during covid when people were avoiding being near each other I got spoiled. Now everyone is completely unawares wandering through as if they are the main character with no regard for anyone else.

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geriatricxennial@reddit

I kinda got lost in covid and haven't found a way out. Two years before it hit I left a bad relationship and went back to school. I started self isolating in that time because I was working on getting sober, school, getting over a lot of the shit from the relationship, etc. Then I did a 1 year grad program and turned 40 in early 2020, two weeks later covid hit. I was living in a totally isolated community but it was a beautiful area, so I actually really enjoyed it aside from the stress of graduating into a pandemic and no one was hiring in my new field! So then I moved 10 hours into a northern community in hopes of a job and more affordable housing, but a community that socialising relies heavily on drinking and people who grew up here all know each other and aren't very open to new people. It's also a quite conservative community, and well, I am not. The past 5 years has literally just been work, home, work, home, hobbies & pets. I know own a house so I have expanded hobbies into the back yard and shed, but still just me & my internal voices to carry on conversation. I will say, it has been an eye-opening few years to personal growth, but man, it is isolating and I often wonder... is this it? Is this what the back half of life is going to be now? Dating is impossible. Making friends is a massive challenge. People say it's the "new normal" but like, wtf. People are clearly miserable and divided, how to we fix it??

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Natural-Hospital-140@reddit

I know it’s very complex and there are a ton of factors at play. And also, it sounds like the area you’re living in is a big mismatch for you. If you get a shot to take a trip to a place you’ve thought about relocating to from time-to-time but haven’t visited yet, I highly recommend taking that chance when the opportunity presents. It’ll either be “dang, I like where I live better than this” or “hot damn it feels so much better here” and either scenario offers you an improved and empowered lens on your current circumstances. And you deserve that.

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Bored_Acolyte_44@reddit

>how to we fix it?? That's the fun part, you don't. Best you can do is find a group that fits whatever atomized niche you fall into and work to better that.

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throwback842@reddit (OP)

Are you me? "Is this it?" has become an almost daily mantra of mine. I don't know what this new life change will bring, but I know my life is not fulfilled. Being single for this long is part of that un-fulfillment and going out/dating has become insanely expensive. Not to mention the bruised pride of unemployment, really does a number on your self-confidence and women tend not to flock to the unemployed & self-conscious types. So getting a start on at least the 'unemployed' part will be a start for me. We will see.

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geriatricxennial@reddit

Haha. I'm glad to not be alone in the sentiment, but then it's a sad reminder that we're all a little lost and questions wtf is this life? I'll say I'm the best version of me in so many ways, but also the worst version because I've become trapped in this cycle and can't really see a way of breaking out of the loop. Unemployment would definitely be a challenge right now, and I feel for you there. Best thing I can suggest (that works for me, anyway) is set small goals and challenges to get through week by week. Keeps you occupied, gives you some reassurance & confidence, motivation, and then hopefully it gets you out of the rut. Sometimes I think we're the X-perimental generation because it seems our age gap were the ones that everything kinda started to change at peak moments of our lives. Graduated licensing, no more grade 13/OACS (I'm in ontario), transitioning to hybrid-online learning, putting resumes into online instead of in person, online dating from actual effort to mindless/personality-lacking swiping. We also saw a lot of shows with communal living - were we being introduced to being comfortable with that idea because that's our future? We the single 40-somethings are going to have to find our own Real World house or Golden Girls to shack up with?

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SickOfNormal@reddit

Fuck no! Lockdown Mode is amazing. I found a work from home job in 2021 until layoffs in 2023. I refused to go back to a 9-5 where I have to drive to work and be around people. Instead, I opened an ebay store. I spend 3 days a week just shopping and have a fun old time flea marketing and thrifting... and buying Amazon return pallets. 2 days listing and packing while listening to records and watching movies in my living room while drinking cappuccinos. I make 2x the $$$ per year than what i was making at a "REAL" job. I'm embracing this alternative living job-style.

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throwback842@reddit (OP)

Congrats on the success! I started an ebay store too. One of my recent home projects was converting the guest room into a resell workroom and I've at least made back what I spent on shelves/shipping goods/old pc/etc. so I'm excited to see where it goes. Flea markets and weekend garage sales have been a big pastime of mine since my grandmother taught me as a kid. Figured it would be a good use of space and time while I was unemployed to try and sell some of my old toys and collectibles while looking for a more traditional job. Definitely still plan on keeping it going as a side hustle. But yeah, I hope one day it'll be my sole source of income because I have a similar love for the work/life balance it gives.

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SickOfNormal@reddit

Yes! I've been addicted to thrifting/garage sales/vintage for the last 25 years when I would go garage sale-ing with my mom as a high schooler. Since then I have I an amazing house filled with all original Mid Century Modern $$$ Made in Denmark furniture from the 60s. Top of the line audio systems/record players/speakers from the golden age late 70s. I have a pot and pan collection Le Creuset / All Clad / Viking that are prolly worth a car ... that goes for my record collection as well. I love it and its so much fun. It actually took about 3-4 weeks when I started my ebay store to get over "THIS IS SO RARE AND AWESOME, I LOVE IT! I NEED TO KEEP IT!!!!" . That was somewhat of a struggle. But that was 2 years ago, since then I MIGHT keep 1-2% of the stuff I buy and just sell everything else. I told my brain, "be attached to money, not the products... see how high your bank account can go". Once you can get that mentality, then you see each item you buy as a "sell price", that's when you can do it full time as a job.

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throwback842@reddit (OP)

That's super relatable about the struggle in letting some rare stuff go. My house is full of vintage stuff too. The store kinda came-to-be so I could more easily get rid of stuff when I upgrade my tools and equipment. Just overall have been pleased with the experience. I especially enjoy making my own boxes and packing items, I have a closet dedicated to shipping materials. I've dabbled in online-auctions recently too and scored a really nice thermal printer for 1/10th MSRP. So it's its own hobby/interest in and of itself. I'm learning alot and can definitely see it being a lifelong side-hustle of mine at a minimum if I can't turn it full-time.

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SickOfNormal@reddit

I really need to get a thermal printer! But for some reason I haven’t. I still print it out on my laser printer, fold and tape. It’s funny that you said that cuz I’ve been eyeing them on Amazon for $50… but my thrifting brain says “dude! You find everything else at sales, find a thermal printer”

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throwback842@reddit (OP)

Well, if you're interested in a Zebra ZM400 let me know, because that online auction was a lot of 3 and I have no idea what to do with the other 2 (I'm waiting on shipping labels to get delivered so I can test everything and make sure they're good to sell)

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SickOfNormal@reddit

Jesus Christ, you bought a fucking tank. THREE tanks! Man, I was only looking at the cheapies and you buying in bulk! DM me with how much $$ you selling for and how much the label rolls cost for it ... and your location.

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Natural-Hospital-140@reddit

This is the best thread on Reddit this year.

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Vintage_Visionary@reddit

CONGRATS to you both! I'm a collector and while Flea Markets are not what they used to be (if they are still open) being able to pop online and find vintage and antique goodies makes my heart happy. And my home too. : )

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PhantomFace757@reddit

Try estate sales.

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PhantomFace757@reddit

Have you found the glory and adventure in estate sales?

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questions6486@reddit

Thank you for contributing to the scalper problem. It's why we can't have nice things at decent prices anymore.

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SickOfNormal@reddit

I don’t think you realize how it works. We actually make prices MORE affordable. We find overstocked/returned crates and palates a lot of time. Say I find an item that is selling on Amazon retail for $100…..I get that same item, still never opened… still new…. And I sell it to your poor complaining ass for $60-75. I just SAVED you MONEY. So the majority of the time it’s the exact opposite of what you claim.

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PersianCatLover419@reddit

Congrats. I did not like the covid lockdown but I found WFH and made the best of it.

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Opunaesala@reddit

Yes, and not being in the office all the time is the best thing that ever happened to me. Any day that I only see my Wife and cats is a good day.

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Yoda-202@reddit

I still mask at work & in stores. Only time sick was my wife bringing covid home from work- their holiday part where it had a 100% attack rate.

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Emotional_Warthog658@reddit

I want make sure I read that correctly, are you saying that 100% of the people that attended your wife’s company party tested positive for Covid/some sickness? Would you mind sharing the state and the date of this party? I am in Texas and the state likes to hide outbreak data that people with compromised immune systems can use to protect themselves.

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Hermes_Agoraeus@reddit

In case it's helpful, I use this [CDC resource](https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html), and drill down into my related county (i.e., "Health Service Area").

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Yoda-202@reddit

I'm not going to share the date, but the state was NJ. Not a big company, ironically a small local government agency. Approx. 10-15 people. Yes, 100%. Not everyone sick tested, but everyone that did was Covid +.

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PersianCatLover419@reddit

I also wear masks indoors in public, stores, etc. A friend is immuno-compromised and had covid at least once, and I do not want to get them sick. I have not had covid but I never stopped wearing masks in public, wash my hands after I have been out, get vaccinated, etc.

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Biddy_Impeccadillo@reddit

Still masking here

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AppropriateFan4530@reddit

I never got to enjoy the lockdown I went from 45 hrs a week to 90+ almost instantly. I do feel like I aged faster during that period.

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peachtuba@reddit

I work in pharma. I hear ya. I feel like I’ve aged by going from my late thirties straight to my early fifties.

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Stock-Act-2315@reddit

I've been in pharmacy for over 28 years and that was easily the worst time in pharmacy I've ever experienced 🥺 hope I never have to deal with anything like that again

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travelingslo@reddit

My favorite pharmacist tech got spat on. Luckily, there was a plastic screen in between her and the asshole, who then sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, and proceeded to throw a temper tantrum because he refused to put on a mask. It was one of many stories that she had, and she eventually quit. And I think about her probably once a month when I’m at the pharmacy. Covid fucking sucked, and it sure has had a long shadow. I’m thankful that you work in Pharmacy, that you are knowledgeable, and that you help people like me who need a lot of medication get it and teach me to understand how to best take it. Thank you.

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bitsy88@reddit

![gif](giphy|e4Jyxh9zQjgnC) COVID made me dislike people in general even more. I can't think someone is a good person if they don't care enough to wear a small piece of material so that someone else won't get sick and literally die. Don't get me wrong, masks sucked. I have asthma and it feels like I'm being smothered when I wear one so I know the struggle but I managed.

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randle_mcmurphy_@reddit

The trouble with that is that masking was a pretty much useless practice. At the time maybe we didn’t know that, but the data shows it clearly now. Same with vax mandates. The vaccines didn’t do the promised things, yet people looked down on others for not taking it. Again, at the time people maybe didn’t know, but the data is very clear now. A fast evolving microscopic virus is going to do fast evolving microscopic things.

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bitsy88@reddit

Honestly, I don't really care what the data shows now about how effective or ineffective masks were. Even if it didn't work, it's a very simple, safe precaution that medical professionals recommended at the time to try to curb the spread of a deadly virus and people were more upset about their perceived rights violation than about the people that were dying of a contagious disease. They didn't know they weren't spreading infection, they were under the same impression as everyone else at that time that it works to prevent spreading to vulnerable populations that were dying horrific deaths and just didn't care. I won't get into the vaccine because that's a whole different can of worms.

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randle_mcmurphy_@reddit

I think a large part of the problem was the so called medical experts started off, in fact, saying NOT to mask. You can go find Fauci himself saying this on video. Then the story changed. Just like “if you get the vax you can’t get Covid” was totally false. This was stated by the president of the United States. The whole ordeal cemented lifelong distrust of the medical establishment and for good reason. Big pharma profited and was exempt from any liability while they produced a vaccine that did not stop or even slow the spread of Covid. It is what it is now. The damage has been done and I’m not sure how many generations will have to pass for any trust to be restored for like 50% of the population.

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IkidIgoat@reddit

You may want to broaden the sources you get your information from.

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randle_mcmurphy_@reddit

My sources? Everyone who masked got covid. Everyone who took several jabs got covid. Please join reality.

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DonkyShow@reddit

Inpatient pharmacy at a larger hospital in my area. That period of time really changed the way I look at things.

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NXSmiggy@reddit

CSV engineer specialising in serialisation checking in. My companies only engineer in the UK. Was asked to take holiday from my subcontacted working at home role to travel the UK and support all operations because I was a key worker so could get a travel pass. All whilst the Irish based engineers went on furlough 😭

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DarksunDaFirst@reddit

I work in pharma as well with the logistics side of things. From Supply Chain crap for 3-4 years to dealing with tariffs for the past 10 months (which have felt like years)… The calender says I turned 40 during this time period, but I feel like skipped a decade.

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TheCheshireGhost@reddit

That happened to me. Then I was laid off and have been sitting here...kind of confused. Everyone had a moment I missed. And now everyone I knew isn't there anymore. So I play Stardew and occasionally read reddit.

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yomamasonions@reddit

“Everyone I knew isn’t there anymore.” I really resonate with that. I’m sorry you feel this way, too.

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NoSample5@reddit

Same here. I’m a little jealous of people who could slow down life! I had to work in the office full time, figure out what to do with my daughter, hope I didn’t get sick (I did). It was rough. The only good thing was no traffic.

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SunFlwrPwr@reddit

I still often think of how great it was with little/no traffic!

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CaptainsYacht@reddit

I miss pandemic morning commutes so much. They were great. Nearly everything else sucked

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tcpukl@reddit

Yeah I didn't stop working at all. Just went to WFH instead. But also needed to be a teacher as well to children that couldn't go to school whilst 2 parents having full-time jobs. They're weren't enough hours in the day for those years.

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Specific_Anybody8306@reddit

I read “WFH” as Waffle House 😂 then I was like ohhh work from home

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Substantial-Use95@reddit

So no then. Given that this post isn’t directed toward you, you can sit this one out champ.

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AppropriateFan4530@reddit

lol, shut it

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questions6486@reddit

My workload didn't increase, but I was essential public-facing, so nothing really changed except I had to wear a mask for a couple years. Honestly my social life exploded after covid. People were itching to get out. There didn't used to be online queues and ticket sellouts for every event I go to, but now there is.

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PIG20@reddit

Same. It was fine at first because one positive thing was that while I still had to travel into work, there was absolutely no traffic during the morning or afternoon commute. However, I feel the same way as you. So many people got to live this different life in regard to work while everything at my place of employment got busier. All of our office staff went to WFH and many of their "in office" responsibilities fell onto myself and my group. Things eventually went nuclear as the business I was in jumped on the sanitizer wagon and man, did we get really fucking busy. Eventually, things started to normalize even when it was feeling they would never. But those couple of years felt like forever.

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chamrockblarneystone@reddit

Happy cake day. Lock down broke me. I’m a teacher. I liked going to my job. Being stuck at home meant I was trapped with my father in law who was slowly dying from dementia. I basically started living in my back yard. Returning to school was even worse. All the systems were broken. The kids were so lost. I made it a few mors bad years after COVID, but the kids and they system were such a mess, I finally just retired. Now my life is much more peaceful. I miss teaching, but retirement has been wonderful so far.

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Janna784@reddit

Happy cake day!

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Salads_and_Sun@reddit

Saaame, big time. I was managing a kitchen, and then they laid off pretty much everyone working "under me" and when everything was supposed to go "back to normal" we never got on top of it and the few people we hired weren't very helpful kids with zero experience. Eventually the restaurant tanked but I tried my hardest to keep it going. But I feel like I'm still in lockdown mode even if that means something different from what OP describes. I'm def even less social though. I sleep weird hours, kinda high strung, drink a little too much, not eating great. The hardest thing was all my friends were in the opposite position, collecting unemployment, watching Netflix, got pets (including sourdough starters,) got therapy. It's pretty silly but we'd grown in such different directions that I don't feel very close to a lot of them anymore! Oh and I forgot about all the friends that started families during that time, haha!

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aprillikesthings@reddit

Yup. I work as a receptionist in a retirement community. My job became three times as stressful overnight, and I was working more to cover people who got sick themselves or quit.

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toodledootootootoo@reddit

Same!! I’m actually kinda bitter about it! I find myself thinking “what do I need to do to guarantee myself house arrest…”

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queenofcaffeine76@reddit

lol yeah no lockdown for me. I worked at a daycare whose clients included police, teachers, mechanics, and lab workers. I went from there to a retail company whose sales had tripled, as what they sold was essentially hobby products. got my first promotion there 1 month out of training. never got to stay home and entertain myself.

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Previous-Living-1181@reddit

This exactly, I work in the hospital and developed what I like to call a Covid “Scowl” from telling patients to keep their airvos on. I swear that I ended up with more grey hair than when I started. If it wasn’t the pts it was management working from home for some reason (seriously get in the trenches with us) , or travel nurses starting drama again. End rant

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Twanlx2000@reddit

Same here -- I manage for a high volume grocery chain, and I'm still waiting for my lockdown.

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Emotional_Warthog658@reddit

If you don’t mind, my asking, what do you do?

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AppropriateFan4530@reddit

Internet infrastructure engineer

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adamfunk20@reddit

Yup. Im an IT director. I didnt stop and haven't stopped since covid . Ive aged 10 years in 5.

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slademccoy47@reddit

My previous job turned into a hybrid situation and the dress code became even more casual. That was really nice. My current job is in-person 5 days a week with a stricter dress code. I hate it here.

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geekgirlwww@reddit

My late 20s I used to wear pencil skirts and pantyhose to the office every day. Dear god never again. My next office was business casual now I’m remote. Im fully feral at this point

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jayne-eerie@reddit

No change in women’s fashion over the last 20 years makes me happier than the fact we collectively decided pantyhose were bullshit. I still see tights in cold weather, but I haven’t seen a woman in skin-colored hose in ages, even in dressy settings.

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projectkennedymonkey@reddit

Ugh I'm torn. I've always had big thighs and feel a bit too exposed bare legged and it's usually too hot for tights where I live, I feel like panty hose are the only option but they also look so old timey and it's hard to find actual plus sized ones.

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yomamasonions@reddit

Panty hose doesn’t look old timey! It’s like a fashion statement now for Gen Z

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jayne-eerie@reddit

See, I don’t feel like hose do anything to cover me up. Plus I’m hopeless and get runs every time I wear them, so it’s basically just throwing money away.

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RelevantFilm2110@reddit

Wow that's a flashback. I have had jobs that required pantyhose and that seems like a fever dream now. One required women to wear them with anything other than pants, even a full-length skirt, which is what I tended to wear.

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Tsunamiis@reddit

It took Covid to explain to me that my life is lockdown mode

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Radica1Edward@reddit

Not necessarily in lockdown mode but I got my current job during the summer of Covid and it's been 100% WFH. Also in my 40s. I've definitely gotten .. lazier. I order delivery most days and a day 'out' for me is basically going for a walk when the weather's warm, going to the grocery store to buy some specialty foods to cook, or going out to eat. I like it. I should clarify, I have a good life. My wife also works from home and it's nice to avoid the nearly one-hour commutes each way that I used to have before Covid. But I used to go out golfing or to practice my photography and I'm just barely doing any of that. My hobbies now are more inside hobbies. I do get out occasionally for a game or to see friends or whatever. I have 1-2 work trips a year. Still go on vacation. But my day-to-day life has definitely changed since Covid. There are a lot of days where I don't get out of the house at all other than sitting outside and enjoying the backyard when it's nice out. I think you'll do fine. I don't have a problem adjusting to being out when I go out, FWIW. It all feels normal. I have no doubt it would be an adjustment if I was back in an office but I'd get used to it. That said, I ain't going back, haha.

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puddin_pop83@reddit

I got 6 months off. I lost my job the daybefore the shutdown happened and I got my unemployment in that same day. The next day everything went to shit as everything closed. I had gotten a job that same week but it didnt start until August. So I got 6 months with the unemployment. I took a vacation. But I also worked inpatient psych at that time. Staff wore masks.. which getting people in psychosis to wear them... ugh impossible we gave up and just made sure the staff was protected. In the 2 years we're covid was scary we would shut down half a unit and turn it into a quarantine area. We only had covid twice on my unit and three times on the other unit. It wasnt really that bad.

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aRealPanaphonics@reddit

I loved lockdown mode, personally, but my work went back to 4 days in, 1 day remote about 2 years ago. I don’t love it but I’m lucky I have an office and get some peace from people. I’m pretty social still, but I love solitude too. I somehow sit on the cusp of introvert and extrovert.

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a-fabulous-sandwich@reddit

Lockdown was my lifestyle in the first place lol. It was nice for that to be the norm for a while.

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No-Durian-3753@reddit

I was sent to work remote because of Covid. I had just turned 40 and was isolated for a long time. Even after lockdown was lifted, it was never the same. I didn’t realize how much it affected me until I changed jobs last year and went back in the office full time. I also didn’t realize how much my mind needed that human interaction until I started the new gig. It did take about 7 months to adjust (long time I know). Now I’m missing the benefits of working from home. But if I find a remote job, it’ll be on my terms, not because of a black swan traumatic event. Going back into the office broke my ties with Covid in a way. Normalized me. I’m happy about that part.

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Iafilledemtl@reddit

I'm in the office 3 days now so not as remote but as others say people aren't that social and Zoom is the new normal. It's depressing. Winter doesn't help ... I'm in ottawa which is horribly cold and isolating. Social media has created many narcissists and connections between people are extinct. I try to get out there but I'm not sure how successful I'll be.

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Fahlulah@reddit

So, we have children and when it all started, we isolated for the first two years and the kids were originally in K, 2,3. We put the kids back in school after 2 years because of physical/emotional development combined since the eldest was entering puberty and becoming reclusive. However, my husband stayed working from home. Though I returned to working outside the house, he unintentionally isolated. He'd go to the store and we'd occasionally go out to eat, but that's mostly it. He was happily content. This year, we moved to Germany and he had to go back into the office. Definitely an adjustment to his routine and habits. He's happy to be there, though. It's nice for him to reengage socially and it wasn't awkward like he thought it'd be. I hope you have success as well and transition easily into your new job!

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CaptZombieHero@reddit

I never got a break since I was classed essential. Worked 50-60 hrs a week.

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zarifex@reddit

I'm still trying to avoid breathing other people's breath and wearing my N95 to the grocery store etc. Was unemployed when the pandemic began, because I had just moved from Michigan to Arizona. I have been continuously working remote only since finally starting a job in November 2020, changed employers a few times in the last 5 years. I lost my 15 year 7 month old cat to pancreatic cancer in November 2024. So now 13 months later I'm realizing just how isolated I really am. Having here company until she got sick sort of masked or buffered my social isolation. But now the only social things I do in person are when I get together with my long distance partner (2 hours apart) or going to my local grief support group. I did go to an event without a mask on Sunday, but it was outdoors at a park and not very crowded at all. I think about changing jobs sometimes but I don't want to give up my 100% WFH year round status and seems like the job market for C# back-end-only kind of sucks now. I don't want to deal with the constant nightly anxiety in isolation but I also don't want to give up on not getting Covid. I've had countless conversations over the last 3 years about tradeoffs and balancing risk tolerances etc but my general impression is still that if I get sick and need help no one's coming. Still I wish I could rejoin the social world in some ways without having to get sick, it seems like no one else cares but I would love to be proven wrong about that.

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plotthick@reddit

I did this after the 08 crash. Give yourself 3-5 months of grace, it'll be exhausting... and then all of a sudden you'll be acclimated!

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forgethim4@reddit

I wish you all the best! Not to hijack your post, but I noticed there’s was any generation tolerated coming out of this fairly well saying or most “normal “ it seems to be our generations at least in my experience . My experience has been the generations to the left and the right of me that had some of the biggest fallouts. It’s almost like we were bred to be ignored quiet and left alone for a long time 😂and then have to come back to society like it’s any Tuesday.

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kkkeelly579@reddit

No, aside from the 5.5 weeks my state shut down ‘non essential’ jobs (bs.. paying bills never was non essential) I have continued at my in-person job. I refuse to exist in lockdown. Not HEALTHY for the human mind

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lionlenz@reddit

I learned to be happy and comfortable in my own home. Since I got divorced during COVID it was also an opportunity for me to really personalize it more and make it my own sanctuary. All that said.... I do feel cooped up easily. My job is hybrid and recently went back to 4 days in the office. It has been good to spend more time with co-worker friends, and then it makes me appreciate going back home more. Then.... I feel no pressure to do anything on weekends - I got my socializing done during the work week and can appreciate my time on the weekend. Prior to 2020 - I felt like weekends were all about pressure to get social.... And feel relieved that that feeling is gone.

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oookooop@reddit

i am hoping to feel this way. it has been really hard during the week days when everyone is working.

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oookooop@reddit

i am in this almost exact place. lockdown, WFH mostly and then laid off in january almost a year ago. About to start working in an office 8-5 M-F which I am so grateful to have finally found a job after so many interviews and applications in the last 6 months since I started searching. I am so nervous and following for any tips. I am in the same place as you with the whole “lockdown mode” since I had mostly been WFH until the last few months when they made us go back to the office and then they laid me off. I had a brief taste of office life but now it’s been nearly a year of contract work at home so I feel really anxious too. Especially with leaving my animals and just being around people again involuntarily. I am looking forward to hopefully meeting some nice people on the job but I am really nervous

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Weird_Anteater_6428@reddit

Yup. I have been WFH since then and if I get my way, I'll never go back into an office. During the first year, I inherited my parents' dogs. I bought a house so they could have a yard in their elder years. My house is not walking distance to anything like my apartment was. I've gotten mental health help, too. I'm more content to sit at home and hang out with my dogs (and my roommate now) than try to get out somewhere to drink the night away like I used to. I don't even have an urge to anymore. I did join a gym to get some socialization. And got sick this year for the first time since pre-covid. My dogs will likely be gone in the next year (they're large dogs and at least 13 yrs old), so I might do more things, but I don't plan on going back to pre-covid me. Just trying to figure out new me.

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MajorFox2720@reddit

Sorry for your loss, both on inheriting the dogs and possibly losing them soon. I hope you get as many joy filled days as you possibly can between now and then.

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Weird_Anteater_6428@reddit

Thanks. They've had a pretty great 5 yrs - they've been spoiled relentlessly. They've run around in the yard, dug up my bushes, and slept to their heart's desire. They can do that for as long as they want 🙂

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throwback842@reddit (OP)

"Just trying to figure out new me." Yeah, this is where I'm at. I don't have the same kind of excitement about making significant life changes like I used to when I was younger. This change feels different than anything I've gone through before. Like yeah, reintegrating into public has GOT to be a good thing, right? But it doesn't feel like an upgrade, it feels like I've done something bad and am now required to change for the promise of some as-of-yet unknown benefit. I dunno, it's just different so I figured I'd ask the group to get insight from folks who may have already gone through the reintegration.

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chamrockblarneystone@reddit

My daughter has been working from home since lockdown. She loves it. Last month her large, famous company demanded all personnel return to the office in NYC by January. She’s so sad. She got married and has a dog now. The commute takes hours out of her day and will cost her a fortune. I feel so bad for her. She’s been applying for other jobs, but its hard times out there.

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PhantomFace757@reddit

This. Is. Me. I keep forcing myself to at least get out and n society. So far I’ve only found that I really really don’t like the society I’m surrounded by. It doesn’t help I’ve got young onset Parkinson’s it just makes being around others so hard. Especially in the age where people don’t respect boundaries and will still tell me about “some cure” they heard about. I haven’t noticed a benefit and don’t see any in the future.

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Weird_Anteater_6428@reddit

I get it. It's the having to leave, not wanting to leave. I'd feel the same way if I had to leave for work. My new me is a product of health changes: brain drugs, therapy, losing weight, getting stronger, etc. It isn't an exaggeration when I say I'm a completely different person than I was 6 years ago.

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tenderHG@reddit

"Just trying to figure out new me" needs to go on a t-shirt. That is SO accurate to where I've been over the past five years.

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Rogueaudrea@reddit

I'd buy this tshirt for sure too! Right there with yall.

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OlDirtyJesus@reddit

no

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lis-emerald@reddit

Been trying to do more, like connecting with friends. Going back hybrid kind of helped just like get back to like getting used to get ready to go out of the house 😂 (vs like just grocery store). But actually putting on something besides leggings. I’m close to my office so I do not deal with commute times but I see people struggle with this, having to relearn the vibes. Also prepping for office life - food at work, staying hydrated, etc… If you’re entering an office environment where everyone knows everyone well and you’re the new person, being in office has some benefit there of being able to connect to people even just for work.

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niobiumnnul@reddit

Absolutely.

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thamajesticwun2@reddit

Watch the first season of Fallout, that should get you up to speed. 🤣 (I kid, I kid)

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LastCallKillIt@reddit

I used to enjoy going out meeting up with friends at the bars to watch football games, bowling and stuff. Never do that anymore. Get bored and wander around a store, nope. Good luck getting me out of the house without a weeks notice now lol. It made us anti-social types full recluse.

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JeffTheAndroid@reddit

I think that's the biggest one for me - I used to always think "I'm bored, maybe I'll go roam around Best Buy for a bit" which would often lead to other errands and just generally being more active and productive. Since COVID killed retail, I know that anywhere I go, they won't have anything I want, and if they do, it'd be way cheaper to buy online.

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LastCallKillIt@reddit

Best Buy dropping physical media really helped kill that for me. I used to go up there just to see what movies or CD's they had.

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JeffTheAndroid@reddit

Yeah that's 100% what killed that aspect. Not to mention what a huge impact it had on physical media, music, and streaming video when they removed it.

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geekgirlwww@reddit

Omg I went to Best Buy the other day probably the first time since Covid and it was so sad.

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MortgageRegular2509@reddit

It is an absolutely joyless experience these days. The weirdest part for me was customer service being the only checkout area (at least in my local store), and not being staffed until someone noticed you standing there looking confused af

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hopeful_tatertot@reddit

So relatable. I used to almost hate being at home and spent all of my time doing something outside of the home either just by myself or with friends/family. Now my house is my favorite place to be. Even when I'm out with people I enjoy I'm thinking about getting back to my home.

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LastCallKillIt@reddit

Always planning my Irish Googdbye

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Equivalent_Pace4301@reddit

Yeah I’ve become full recluse but need to go make friends outside of work. It’s so hard to get loner me to think I’ll have fun going to a bar.

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LastCallKillIt@reddit

I've been making myself go to the craft brewery close to my house on Friday or open mic lately. I don't really have any friends anymore, but need to at least get out again. Single for basically the first time in a decade. It's nice to be free, but it was nice to have someone even if we weren't great for each other.

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PhantomFace757@reddit

I’m in the “married-single” phase. My SO has zero interest going out because she has her own health issues. I’ve got young onset Parkinson’s which current treatment says get out and do things, working out constantly, and having social interactions. And I’m like….i dunno.

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LastCallKillIt@reddit

Dang that sucks

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JLLIndy@reddit

I was never a huge sports fanatic but kept up enough to converse and also enjoyed going to local games pro and minor. Now? Pfft, who gives a shit?

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hungrypotato0853@reddit

No, not really. As a teacher, aside from March-June, 2020, I haven't worked remotely. A bit here and there during the 2020-2021 school year, during classroom outbreaks, but I'm an "essential worker" so was thrown into that toxic environment wirh my students. Life is back to normal nowadays, aside from the fact that the world/life generally sucks and no one wants to do anything.

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questions6486@reddit

Conversely, my couped up office friends wanted to do *everything* after covid. They wanted to go out all the time. And I was over here like "guys, nothing really changed for me, I'm tired." I probably go out *more* on average now.

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beekaybeegirl@reddit

This is my experience. I’ve worked this entire time.

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Pisstoffo@reddit

In early 2020, I was working at the top of the tallest building in the city. I thought I was successful. Lockdown hit and I had never worked from home before and was worried about being productive and remaining employed. A year later, I took a fully remote position and feel more successful than ever by working in my PJs on the couch!

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analogthought@reddit

I kept thinking it was turning 40 during the pandemic combined with lockdowns that officially sealed my fate as a hermetic old man. I’m pretty content with it and I get out in nature (away from people) whenever I can, like I did during lockdowns… so I’m good with it.

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Land_Fisch@reddit

This is exactly my same sentiments.... my 40th was during lock down.... I have completely embraced the solo life in nature and avoiding people when I can. I was always pretty solo anyway; but this just reassured me it was ok.

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LaRoseDuRoi@reddit

I turned 40 about 2 weeks after lockdowns started. I haven't really gone out to the bar (it's Wisconsin... there's not much else), out to eat, or really anything since Covid. I stay home with my family and my cats, and visit my one friend, and that's about it.

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HAWKWIND666@reddit

Ya know what…that’s a great life. Enjoy it.

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stadtgaertner@reddit

Thanks buddy. I really do.

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stadtgaertner@reddit

To be honest the slowing down of my life really helped me life a healthier life style. I quit alcohol and started to cook for myself with the start of the first lockdown. In the past i had been out eating every second day and out drinking at least two times a week. And you guessed it, I saved a lot of money because of that.

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LaRoseDuRoi@reddit

We still end up eating a lot of fast food/take-out food because 3 people in the house work at 3 different restaurants, but that's mostly free stuff! All of us more or less quit drinking, too. The occasional 6 pack or a small bottle, but that's like, 1 or 2 times a month now, 1 or 2 drinks each. Not like it was when I basically existed on bar pizza and Captain and Cokes (my husband was a bouncer/bar back at our local pub for several years prior to Covid, so we ended up spending a lot of time there). That part is definitely better!

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vand3lay1ndustries@reddit

Turning 40 and getting Covid did it for me. I’m just not the same person anymore.

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stadtgaertner@reddit

Same Same

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cyclepoet77@reddit

Congratulations on getting the job! I've never fully gotten out of lockdown mode. Prior to the COVID lockdowns I made some effort for socialization to get out of my lone wolf bubble. The lockdowns killed off the writing group I was in prior. Since the lockdowns ended, I've stopped putting myself out there. I'm a textbook introvert and the lockdowns were the perfect excuse to embrace it. Perhaps it's just me getting older too. As for work, I was unemployed for nearly three years (some of this time during COVID). I landed my current job late 2021, and the company was having their administrative employees work from home at the time. They never revoked that policy. Outside occasionally going into the office, I'm permanent WTH. If I ever get another job where it's full on-site, it's going to be extremely difficult for me to adjust.

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hashlettuce@reddit

I've been disabled for a while now. My doctor told me at the start though, after 2 years of not working, your brain changes and its incredibly difficult to readjust to work again. I still do work like stuff to keep occupied I just don't get paid much anymore.

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Boring_Mango1098@reddit

Where did you find a job?!

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Physical-Name4836@reddit

Well you know that “with it” speech grandpa Simpson gave his young son Homer. Well you were Homer before the pandemic and now your grandpa. Acceptance will come…in time.

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doktorhladnjak@reddit

In some ways, but not totally. For me, I'd describe it as having lost interest in many of the things I did pre-pandemic like going out to bars or international travel. Those things just aren't as interesting to me anymore. It's taken a lot for me to build up new hobbies and ways to pass the time. It's still not like it was before in terms of how full my time is. The pandemic affected every age group in its own unique way. My nephew missed the first couple years of school effectively since remote school didn't really work for a 6 year old. My parents were in the higher risk group due to age, but then bounced back really fast because they feel there's only so many good years left. I work with young people who feel they missed out an half of their college years, and are now feeling major FOMO to do everything. For us, it aligned with a popular time for mid-life crisis. It's hard for me to say how much was one or the other. I feel like it accelerated a lot of my friends to change things up in their lives in various ways.

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Durakus@reddit

Lockdown mode? I’m an introvert. I’m always in lockdown mode. And the way my parents raised me practically made me hide from social situations. I actively have to choose to be social and mentally prep days in advance. Or I have to use my emergency social energy and they usually has bad RAM.

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Gloomy_Branch6457@reddit

Health deteriorated dec 2020 and I am literally still in lockdown. Apart from Drs appointments I’ve left the house 4 times this year, 2 of those were haircuts. No banana bread making or tv workouts unfortunately, mostly bed bound. I envy the kind of lockdown healthy people had lol. But glad I’m kinda on trend for xennials 🤪

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NihilisticMacaron@reddit

One month into COVID, I moved into the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere an hour from anything remotely approaching civilization. I work from home. I travel a lot for work though. It’s a good mix of solitude and socialization with coworkers. Pretty dismal from a friends and family perspective, but that’s why we’ve got dogs now, I guess. :)

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lavender_fetish@reddit

Yes, it’s been six years of COVID and COVID is still here, still causing long COVID in 1/10 people, etc. I’m an introvert and disabled but became much more introverted during this pandemic. I personally won’t be able to do social events unmasked until there is a sterilizing vaccine. I love being home, I’m so lucky to have an amazing marriage, no kids, and special interests. I would absolutely not be able to work full time in an office without a ton of accommodations. I would suggest you mask when you can, get all your vaccines and boosters, stock up on tests, and monitor your coworkers. Mask if someone is sick etc. Maybe you can try to connect to people with a game or shared tv show instead of “going out for drinks”. Might be easier transition to start a league for survivor, for example, than trying to full on go out. Also…safer!

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lemonheadlock@reddit

I hate being made to feel ridiculous for still wearing a mask. I got sick before the vaccine, before they announced paper and cloth masks weren't enough, and I ended up with long covid. While I had covid, it was so bad that I nearly ended up in the hospital. I don't go anywhere without a mask now. I'm worried that, even with the vaccine and new drugs, getting it again might kill me or give me new long covid symptoms. I might be overreacting, who knows, but I don't feel like risking it.

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lavender_fetish@reddit

This. You have to prioritize yourself. I wouldn’t play roulette with my health. I’m a Novid as far as I know, and I imagine given my current health that it will be very bad for me. I have a disease that is well known yet barely managed by my health care system, I cannot risk adding in another one that doctors continue to deny is real.

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lemonheadlock@reddit

I'm lucky enough to live in an area that had a hospital with a covid clinic where the doctors were researching long covid and treating it. Naturally, the clinic was shut down a couple of years ago.

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lavender_fetish@reddit

Oof. That is depressing. I hope you can stay healthy this season!

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blueOwl@reddit

I suspect a lot of people with lc ftom the first strain feel similarly. I know I do, i'm very worried to lose the bit of progress i painstakingly made over the last 6 years should i get covid again.

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PersianCatLover419@reddit

I know 3 people with long covid they did not wear masks and either never took the vaccines, or finally took them in 2021 after having had covid multiple times already. They all had the original strain and the one right after it. Some have kids and said that they've had covid 7-8 times as their kids bring it home from school. Reddit is the only place people really discuss long covid. In society people think it is gone because the news does not mention it at all.

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lavender_fetish@reddit

That’s really sad! I agree. I know someone who got the original 2020 strain and they are completely disabled, a once healthy 42 year old and now has a walker and cannot eat most food. Unfortunately long COVID is the leading childhood illness now, bypassing asthma. I can’t afford to get sicker than I am…hanging on by a thread here already!

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mishel13@reddit

I’ve worked remote since Covid. I am going back in 3 days a week starting in January. I finally realized how much of a shut in I’ve become. I’m nervous to get out of my routine, but I also can’t wait to see people outside my family on a regular basis.

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BrattyTwilis@reddit

I was already working from home prior to the lockdown, so not really. Though it does feel like the world is getting back to where it was before it all happened

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MoodScripted@reddit

I was working from home since before covid. I wish I was in permanent lockdown mode.

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emmettleigh23@reddit

I guess you could say I’ve never came out of lockdown mode. I am very introverted, so it works well for me. We got sent home for “2 weeks” on March 15, 2020 and my team has worked from home ever since. I love it but I do have to put effort into making sure I get out of the house during the week. My husband and I go places on the weekends but during the week I’m kind of a shut-in. I feel like the last almost 6 years have been a blur and that does make me sad.

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weezie_lou@reddit

I got to enjoy lockdown for 4 1/2 years while I was working from home. It was the BEST. I got dragged back into the office after that. I wish I had some tips to make the transition easier, but honestly it’s been kind of rough. I guess my tip would be to take some time for yourself before you leave for the office in the morning to do something you enjoy. I get up a little earlier so I have time to walk my dog and skim the news on my phone. It helps to create a quiet frame of mind so I don’t feel rushed. Good luck!!

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O_o-22@reddit

As a homebody myself I always found my own solitary pursuits fulfilling and worthwhile. I think quite a lot of people realized that they also found a lot of peace and fulfillment from the time away from work to decompress, rest and look for a distraction other than their jobs and the same old same old that advertisers and society keeps telling them is fulfilling when it just…. ain’t. And I think this fact has the capitalist powers that be worried about the only thing they care about, never ending upward growth because that’s getting harder and harder to achieve that now in our end stage capitalist hellscape.

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TappyMauvendaise@reddit

No LOL. I love going out and about in the world. I love eating out. I just love everything about going out leaving my house.

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carradio81@reddit

I am in semi lockdown mode - but it also could be due to slowing down in my 40's mode. I work from home still - after many years of trying to juggle working full time and having two kids (and some annoying health issues) - I would be devastated to go back into the office. My group of friends got and remained smaller, but became closer with a small group of family members. I always was a home body but enjoy being home even more so - I will go places for the kids sake and then for big events - concerts, basketball games etc bbbuutttt if I have too many commitments I am miserable. I also realized how nice it is to get sick less so I still mask at the doctor's office etc.

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c74@reddit

probably a good idea to exercise your voice. i was off work like you and lived alone. like anything, voice gets weak... i had a hell of a time when i went to talking most of the day. lost my voice maybe 3 times in the first month or two until i guess it got enough exercise. i'd also start a routine as if you were working in terms of getting up and ready in the morning... meal times and bedtimes. last thing you want to be is tired/groggy at a new gig. good luck.

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Junebug35@reddit

When lockdown happened I became essential and still had to go into work in person. They cut some employees, so by the time we fully reopened in 2021 we were a skeleton crew. They drug their feet rehiring to the point I was burned out, so I found a remote work position in 2022. I finally understand what you mean! I love spending my days with my fluffy co-workers. I don't ever want to go back to pre-COVID me, who was so stressed out I was miserable to be around.

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Low_Soil_6831@reddit

Shower. Wear laundered clothes. Have a plan for lunch. Leave house. Lock door behind you.

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ArtisanalMoonlight@reddit

Not lockdown mode. But I definitely have no use for a lot of the bullshit (commutes, meetings that could be emails, mindless consumption, etc) society insisted on pre-pandemic. I'm an introvert, so I'm very happy in my own company and not having to constantly be around people. If I had to switch to a fully in person job again, I think I might lose my mind.

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No_Attention_2227@reddit

Nope, I'm still working remotely (both my jobs). I'm not really in "lockdown mode" as I've never had a problem going into public even in the thick of the pandemic, but sometimes even now 5 years later I sometimes don't leave the house for days at a time.

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bigbossfearless@reddit

Yeah, getting into a ridiculous combat sport is kinda my midlife crisis and re-socialization. It sucks having to build up friends from scratch as a 40 something. Lost most of mine while I was overseas for my whole 30s, just drifted away from everyone I used to hang with. Life alone is so lonely, you gotta really work at it but you can actually get back in.

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stykface@reddit

I live in Texas so the lockdowns ended early in our state and lots of people went back to normal fairly quickly. It seems like it happened 10 years ago at this point.

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FutureMe83@reddit

My husband and I met at the beginning of Covid in like April/May when things were opening up again and it felt safe to do so. We went on one outside date with masks. The rest of our dates ended up being bad movies and pizza at each other’s places. That is still kind of what we do. It’s exciting when we have “outside dates” because I also work from home now, lol. I already was a homebody.

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YouCanBetOnBlack@reddit

I feel ya. First of all congrats on the new job! Lockdown threw me for a loop too, still have a lot of bad habits that are lingering. I think we got hit a little extra hard turning 40 in the pandemic, as naturally our social lives slow down a bit from 30s. It won't ever go back to what it was, but it's extra important to stay connected to the friends we have. I started a hybrid job last year and I really liked being around people again, I know a lot of people hate being in the office but it's been really good for me, personally and professionally. Hopefully you got a job you'll enjoy, or at least find people to make friends with.

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sugarcrumpet@reddit

Yes. Lockdown and moving to WFH (I never returned to office) changed all of us. I bought my first house two weeks before lockdown and turned 40 and year into the pandemic. Life has changed pretty dramatically for me and I'm super okay with that. I guard my energy more fiercely now and my life has become more streamlined as a result. Sometimes that's hard for me, but then I remember how weird shit is out there.

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rantingpacifist@reddit

Yep. I got dumped mid 2023 and I was beyond depressed. Then I got diagnosed autistic and realized I don’t have to pretend. I failed to relaunch by my career is better than ever.

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AshDogBucket@reddit

I've had a pretty different experience. I never got to do the lockdown thing. Both my husband and I were essential workers which came with the extra risk and mental health impacts. We never got to take that break that everyone else talks about. When people talk about how " we were all in lockdown" etc, they mean everyone except the people like us that's they don't really know exist. So instead we both got super burned out and kept waiting for that time that we would get to take the relaxing break that's most people around us seems to have.. and we never got it. I don't regret the work that we did during the height of the pandemic because it was so important and we were serving our community. I do wish that we could have gotten a break also though. We earned it.

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wookieb23@reddit

My husband was a pharmacist during covid - only break he got was traffic

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AshDogBucket@reddit

I worked for ER doctors a little later (starting April, 2021)... I just have so much respect for all medical workers during that time (and honestly always). Did your husband get sick or was he able to avoid it?

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ken830@reddit

I guess the grass is always greener... Being in lockdown was absolutely NOT a "relaxing break" for me.

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geekgirlwww@reddit

I was furloughed with unemployment and the extra 600 and I have no kids. Not gonna lie it rocked. I played video games, read, watched shows and movies.

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ken830@reddit

I basically took over several projects and worked 20+ hours because there were no longer clear work hours and we were short handed. And I had to juggle the 3 young kids between my wife (teacher) and I. One was in elementary, another in preschool, and the third was 1 year old. My hair turned grey starting that year.

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AshDogBucket@reddit

Sounds stressful!

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ken830@reddit

Yes, but I still recognize how fortunate I am to be in the position I'm in to be able to stay employed and continue to provide for my family. I have absolutely no regrets and don't deserve any pity. Plenty, plenty, plenty of people much less fortunate than me by far.

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slithyknid@reddit

I personally don’t know anyone who got a “break,” although I have heard tell of such experiences I guess. Every single person I know experienced one form or another of Major Disruption and made the best of it.

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AshDogBucket@reddit

Oh really? Many people i know talked about how yeah it sucks they have to be impacted but overall they're loving this time to relax.

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onions-make-me-cry@reddit

I'm still in lockdown mode and hope to stay here. I really love my house. I did have a job loss in February of this year and my first offer was a fully in office role. It was awful. I quit as soon as I got the offer I have now, fully remote. My only advice would be that you do whatcha gotta do. You'll adapt no matter what.

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slash8@reddit

Congrats on finding a role after so long. I know a lot of folks in a similar position including myself.

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kjb76@reddit

I’ve been wfh since before Covid but I am 100% NOT in lockdown mode. I’m an extrovert and the pandemic was hell. I couldn’t wait for things to open up because we were in a hard hit state and I was losing my goddamn mind.

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Impressive-Car4131@reddit

I work from home, got divorced, moved back to my small hometown with my kids. I help my parents out and they help me with the kids, everything revolves around them because I’m a sole parent. Hardly anyone has a degree or corporate job here. I feel like a fish out of water and I miss being around people like me but I’m either working, being a taxi service for my kids or at home with them. I’m kind of happy on my sofa knitting though, I don’t miss wearing high heels or tight waistbands and there’s a freedom to not having commitments or friends of my own.

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HorseWorking@reddit

I still live at home. Don’t work from home though.

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AlternativeForm7@reddit

The pandemic is ongoing so I’ve had to remain in it to some extent. However, things that have helped have included engaging in safe community, mindful movement, and hobbies.

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d_ippy@reddit

I started wfh in March 2020. I am still there. It has changed me. Not sure for the better.

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drixxel@reddit

I was disabled from long covid for 2.5 years and have been working part time from home for 1.5 years because I’m still unable to work full time. I wear a N95 mask inside around others. It’s possible I could go back to being bed bound if I got sick again so I don’t want to take the chance. Thank you to those who stay home or wear a mask when you are sick.

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blueOwl@reddit

I wondered if everyone moved on and i didnt, but this post shows otherwise. I never recovered from covid and still have bedbound days. i do miss being able to move and be active, to see places and people. And i'm so over wearing a mask (obvs i do). I might ugly cry if there's ever a preventing vaccine for covid

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drixxel@reddit

There are nasal vaccines in the works that should be much better at actually preventing it! I hope you are doing ok.

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AldusPrime@reddit

Yeah, the study used the nasal vaccine, the day after giving the injected vaccine. I think Yale Medicine calls that "prime and spike." **It caused complete sterilization immunity.** Unfortunately, that study was on hamsters. They begin enrolling for human trials earlier this year. That specific nasal vaccine was created in the US (it was the WashU nasal vaccine) but is only available in India (where it's been available for two years now).

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ominous_squirrel@reddit

Hold up. Hold up! Wait a damn minute while I go browse Amazon for a hamster costume ![gif](giphy|JApXW1BLSS87cPatNN|downsized)

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csonnich@reddit

I had a friend with long covid that turned out to be cancer. He died of it a few months ago. Hope you've gotten checked out and everything is as it should be.

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drixxel@reddit

I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. I’ve had many tests over the years I’ve been sick and don’t have additional issues. Thanks for asking.

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lemonheadlock@reddit

Do you no longer have long covid symptoms? I also wound up with long covid but I still have POTS-like symptoms and occasionally need to use my emergency inhaler (I never had any problems breathing before covid).

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drixxel@reddit

I still classify myself as disabled. I can work about 20 hours a week and do exercise like walking a few times a week. Before LC I would work out 10-15 hours per week, so I’m significantly below my healthy baseline. I hope you recover. I’m getting better extremely slowly.

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MaddyKet@reddit

I was laid off in July 2019 and had a pretty sweet package so I didn’t even start looking until early March 2020… Yeah so anyways I didn’t start a w2 job again until March 2023. Freelancing was fun, but it’s more fun to have PTO and not do taxes. I was working from home 2016-2019 and now the new place is a few states away. I did recently have to go for a week in the summer and I realized I do not want to go back to a full time in the office job. Been there, done that!! I definitely became more of a hermit during covid (it was so awesome that delivery became more normalized), so I can’t say I’ve really reintegrated much. I feel like when I do go out to big events I get sick, even with vaccinations. Like the party last weekend. Pretty sure my friend’s idiot friend who showed up with a cough will end up giving me Covid. I really need to start skipping that particular Xmas party if I get Covid from it AGAIN. So TLDR: introvert used to go out more, now doesn’t go out as much, feel like I get sick if I do, sometimes it’s paranoia and sometimes it’s not

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18randomcharacters@reddit

Yup. 2019 I commuted to my desk job down town via train and walking. 2020-current I worked from home, in the basement 2023 I switched from pants to sweat pants 2023-2025 I gained 30 lb It's been a rough half decade.

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ominous_squirrel@reddit

2016 really was the last time I had hope. I joked about getting a job in Bill Clinton’s office of the FLOTUS I was in a pub abroad with a bunch of 20-something gender studies grad students as the election results were coming in. When I saw that urban area results were already counted I knew from the 2004 election that it was game over and time to go to bed but the 20-somethings were still hoping for a rally Summer of 2016. Hell, we don’t even have Pokemon Go anymore. It was bought out by the Saudis and only God knows what kind of bonesaw bullshit they’re getting up to with all that location data

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YodaWattsLee@reddit

I was considering making this exact post yesterday. For me, it’s not only the staying at home, losing all interest in anything outside of these walls thing, but I’ve also hung onto the anxiety of being around people. I was an introvert before the pando, but it’s been an increased anxiety-ridden “I shouldn’t be here” feeling ever since the lockdown.

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Rough_Beautiful1031@reddit

No dude, where have you been for the last several years? I live in New York City in the city has been roaring for at least three years now.

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ominous_squirrel@reddit

I am immunocompromised and, through first hand experience, decided that I don’t want to catch Covid-19 again. I was WFH until six months ago with a job that was killing me from stress and now I am two months into a hybrid job that could be a really great thing The last relationship that I had was 2022-2023 and we had similar Covid precautions but I would joke about still being feral I still take precautions. Basically, I am a Mandalorian. You’re not going to convince me to remove my mask, at least not in public indoor spaces. Sorry I have a friend group now that also still takes precautions. They’re cool people but it’s small and we don’t really have things in common I’ve also learned that doing just about anything anywhere is pretty damn safe from illness in a N95 or equivalent mask. So I could go out and be more social but what’s the point? Dating, eating and drinking indoors are all a no go and people who stopped taking precautions don’t really understand that choosing a patio and/or molecular testing isn’t something that I’m going to negotiate. It’s an accommodation. But also I’m a naturally awkward guy who is even more awkward in 2025. Feral Point being, it’s been wild living in what is supposed to be a blue state and seeing how obviously left/liberal ideas like WFH and disability accommodation are actually not practiced. It’s a kind of culture shock similar to what people who lived abroad experience Which I guess brings me back to advice for you, OP. Going back to being in-office will be a culture shock. 2025 isn’t just 2019 with a lot more coughing. Everyone has changed in really subtle ways that prick at you just like the subtle things that prick when you return from abroad

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Babyspiker@reddit

I work in a field that was considered essential during the pandemic. The fact that I showed up and worked hard during the pandemic ended up being a second renaissance in my career and was responsible for another springboard in earnings and title. It’s been an odd journey since the first renaissance coincided with the Great Recession. Thanks to both unfortunate events I’m staring at the ability to retire early at 50. Weird how things work.

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slash_networkboy@reddit

Hell I was remote before covid by a couple years... Hope to retire from this company in a few more years.

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unbalancedcentrifuge@reddit

I had to both work a lot (in person) and look for a new job (I was told that my contract could not be renewed without additons that I did not find acceptable) during covid, so it was a busy time while I moved states and careers. I am currently in yet another state at yet another company working in person.

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NotRemotelyMe1010@reddit

Such a great post. I’m delighted to still be working remotely, shopping online or using curbside pickup, and we still wear masks, everywhere; we do not dine in unless it’s a work requirement or a very special family event (we got the first round of COVID from my parents after they “ate outside” inside a fully enclosed tent that was packed with folks🤬) We just returned from a nearly two-week trip overseas and did not get sick (sadly, our pictures are largely with our faces covered). We are also both largely introverts (or anxious ambients) who are quite happy at home.

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Organic_Eggplant_323@reddit

I have been wfh for more than 15 years. Covid dint hangs a lot for me work-wise but it took me a really long time to get back out and about socially and I am really just now getting back to pre-covid activity levels (although I still insist on dining al fresco in restaurants and still mask indoors. I may never give those things up).

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Carolinevivien@reddit

I’m still in lockdown mode. I work from home, hardly ever leave my house, and I don’t really feel bad about it. My house gives me comfort, my hobbies are all here, I don’t have a desire to go out to bars or theaters etc. Prior to COVID, my job was 100% in person and high burn out. They asked us to come back in I think late 2022 on a hybrid schedule. I just refused due to having narcolepsy. It didn’t make sense for me, I had adjusted to being home full time and was getting more done. I go out on walks when it’s nice outside, I visit my family and friends, but I’m perfectly content at home engaging in my hobbies, getting my job done, taking care of my house, etc. Is it healthy mentally? I’m sure the majority of people would say it’s not. But I save on new clothes, gas, wear and tear on my car, and I’m not feeling as though I’m missing out. Maybe it all just messed with me that badly. Take it one day at a time. You’ll get into a routine.

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DBPanterA@reddit

You have to be intentional about things. Covid allowed people to become very introverted. Nearly every component in life could be accomplished in near isolation from people. You need to find things that get you outside the house, including hobbies. Hell, I started running in my 40’s (the reason to be discussed at another time). I run a handful of 5k’s or 5 mile runs each year. I started because I suck at it and will never be good or at the front of the pack. I stick with it for that reason: doing something I will never excel at allows me the mental freedom to simply enjoy life, enjoy the moment. The pressure of life in your 40’s is daunting: work, kids, aging parents, this fucking world we live in. It’s exhausting. Need to find things that allow you to forget all of it. Hell, I also started following a rock band around the country. Each year a new city. Met people from all over the world. It forces you to interact waiting in line for 6-10 hours for the doors to open. Allows me to look forward to visiting a new city each year. Best decision I ever made.

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pmmlordraven@reddit

You guys got a lockdown? I got unpaid overtime, a newborn, and rescinded parental leave.

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pm_me_your_amphibian@reddit

I’ve had a few jobs since lockdown but am finally back in one that is fully remote (except semi regular meetings) and I couldn’t be happier. I can literally work in my dressing gown if I want.

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digitalgraffiti-ca@reddit

I have major depressive disorder. Awful deaths aside, Corona was a vacation for me. I wasn't expected to socialize. I was allowed to reject any and all social interactions without repercussions. For well over a year, I only had a handful of social interactions and it was bliss. I never wanted to go back.

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Verbull710@reddit

Never went in to "lockdown mode" - my wife was already a sahm, i went to work like normal, my kids went to school and played with their friends like normal 👍

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Verbull710@reddit

Never went in to "lockdown mode" - my wife was already a sahm, i went to work like normal, my kids went to school like normal 👍

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SpoolingSpudge@reddit

Yep. And I got lazy about exercise - so I'm paying for it now. I'm doing physio and making moves to get back to fitness. Apart from that, still loving it.

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Bored_Acolyte_44@reddit

Yep, still fully in it. Have not been sick once in five years and still looking on at how the world is acting with abject horror.

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kmmccorm@reddit

Abject horror?

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Bored_Acolyte_44@reddit

Are you asking for a definition?

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kmmccorm@reddit

No I’m familiar with abject horror.

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Bored_Acolyte_44@reddit

Then what is the question?

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kmmccorm@reddit

Just wondering aloud how you are abjectly horrified by the outside world that I am in everyday since I don’t have the privilege or ability to stay home everyday.

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PersianCatLover419@reddit

I have not had covid or been sick either. Abject horror? I wear masks in public indoors, especially during Autumn and winter, and get vaccinated.

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Bored_Acolyte_44@reddit

I've literally heard this from everyone from full back to normal people to covid cautious vacationers, yet the data on asymptomatic cases keeps rolling in painting a different picture.

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NooStringsAttached@reddit

Really? Abject horror?

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Bored_Acolyte_44@reddit

Yeah really, watching the world openly embrace social murder and pretend that nothing is happening is fucking horrifying.

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Major_Atmosphere_475@reddit

Yes, I go into work 2-4 days a week as a contract worker, but I still have the down life. I’m exhausted by people at work, the commute, people at the market, etc. Then I bc recover at home. The thing that really solidified the Covid life, was that when I tried going to events through IG, they were not as advertised. The events are overhyped and then people don’t dance or chat. Anyone else noticing that nightlife is not serving the life?

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MajesticLow@reddit

I have worked from home primarily since 2020 (I had 2 roles that were 1 day/week in office during that time). I have struggled to transition back into society. Most of my friends go out, live public lives, etc. I have struggled with maintaining relationships due to this, and now it takes everything for me to even go out for fun (I mainly go out for errands like groceries or to see friends at a party). I don’t have any recommendations; in fact I will be looking for tips myself. But I do want you to know that you aren’t alone, OP.

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nanneryeeter@reddit

No. Worked 1.5-double my usual workload while many sat at home collecting checks for doing nothing. It opened my eyes to the reality of so many seeing little to no intrusive value in regards to human life. Easy to be on a soapbox about staying home to stop the spread while you're getting paid. Having the luxury of such positions while those who handled critical jobs kept the lights on, the fuel trucked, the food growing, etc. It's so dangerous that we need to stay home but fuck you go to work.

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waltwilton@reddit

YES and yes. I've started scheduling and taking weekend trips to visit my closest friends (something I genuinely want to do, not something I feel I should do or have to do). That seems to be generating energy and motivation to do other things in my area (comedy show, seeing a movie in the theater, etc.). My hope is that these things will build momentum and get me back to a healthier, more satisfying schedule. Oh, and finally buying some new clothes... seems silly, but it makes it easier to get out the door and feel presentable.

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Kriegerian@reddit

I was an essential worker, so no. I have had some issues not drinking as much as I was, but I think I’ve finally gotten that mostly under control.

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nunja_biznez@reddit

Kinda. I mean I am a homebody, so also kinda not. But given how much violence and bullshit is out there, I feel safer at home.

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Ok-Assistance4133@reddit

Wow you are me. Except I started my new office job on Dec 1 and boy it's been tough being in civilization and commuting into the city by train. But I'm really surprised how I've made it so far. I was just like you in lockdown mode and riding it out until now with consulting and work from home gigs. I have ADHD and ASD so my home office is my sanctuary and I have my ideal setup here. I couldn't imagine leaving that but the offer was too good to pass up. Best advice is to figure out what to wear lol, buy clothes now and plan out your lunches/food so you don't spend a fortune on eating out. Your first day will be hard. If you are relying on public transport plan it out beforehand. I admit on my first day back in an office for the whole day I cried and I am 40. I didn't think I could do it. You will be ok and it will go fine. Good luck and welcome back to civilization.

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_Winterlong_@reddit

I was high risk “geriatric” pregnant when Covid hit and went off work and never went back. I’ve become quite used to staying home and avoiding people. I had a bit of social anxiety before lockdown, but now it’s even more prevalent and I’m on meds for it. I don’t like going anywhere and my common reason is “it’s too peopley”. What I can’t quite separate or figure out is if it’s from Covid, or being in my 40s, or tired from two little kids or all of the above. I miss the night life I had with my friends before covid and even they agree it’s just not the same. Maybe we’re just getting old?

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syntax_sorceress@reddit

I got back out into the world last year after remote working since 2020. That's just because I need to. Otherwise I am hermit. And love it. My younger self would be appalled.

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SunFlwrPwr@reddit

I went from being in office 40hr a week to starting a new position (same company) literally the Monday we were sent home (March 16th, 2020). I was not only not trained but had to start immediately. Everyone was so busy with the panic there was no room for training. Thankfully I had done similar work previously but it was still a nightmare. I started going back to the office meeting w clients in early 2021 when they requested it. Still to this day there are many people who mostly WFH, only coming in a day/week or have worked 1 wfh day into their schedule per week. Its crazy how much the world changed because of the pandemic.

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mojoninjaaction@reddit

Pretty much. Going to the gym and working with a trainer has helped my social life more than expected though.

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Moxie_Stardust@reddit

I'd started WFH part time in 2017, basically full time by 2018. Loving that part of it. Still plenty of socializing by way of being a musician though, that was the biggest hit for me from the lockdown, not being able to play music with folks.

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SplakyD@reddit

It's bad to say, and it certainly wasn't all easy, but the Lockdown was one of the best times of my life.

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Similar-Stable-1908@reddit

I think we are all just figuring out the new me.

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DmtTraveler@reddit

Yup. Waiting like you're in a storm that needs to pass. But we're stuck in a long drawn out zombie apocalypse

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Blando-Cartesian@reddit

Work never returned to having most of us there most of the time, and commuting started to feel like a colossal inconvenience for the sake of socializing a little at work. Then I got laid off this year, so I guess sooner or later I’m either forced out of my hermit life or sinking deeper into it.

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OkGene2@reddit

I’ve been holed up here for the past six years. Lost my remote job recently and not sure what I’m going to do moving forward.

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lickmybrian@reddit

I never stopped working, during covid I was doing residential hvac service so everyday was spent in multiple strangers homes for hours at time. Covid or not, people need heat or a/c in their homes. Im still waiting for my quarantine. I would have loved to be a recluse at the time... though the traffic was a fraction of what it normally is so that was nice

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itsasnowconemachine@reddit

I took up improv back in February after 5 years of not going out. I'm an introvert with social anxiety and zero theatre experience. I highly recommend it.

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pertrichor315@reddit

I’m a an introvert. I’ve been in lockdown mode my whole life haha.

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Alternative-Duck-573@reddit

I have found myself immunocompromised in a country where germ theory is woke and we're trying to make dysentery great again. I don't go outside unless necessary.

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i_am_randy@reddit

My work closed our local office in early April 2020 and then gave the office up 9 months later. So I’m still working from home and unless I get a new job that won’t be changing anytime soon. Having said that I had/have a regular dungeons and dragons game. We moved it online during Covid. I found out how much of a social creature I am. I absolutely HATED only talking to my friends online. When we finally got back to meeting in person it was like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was legitimately relieved to be around friends again. Going back to the work place in person sounds scary af though. Best of luck with your transition.

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HighSeasArchivist@reddit

I was never in it. Where I live we didn't have to worry about being arrested for going outside. Also, *essential* and all that, whatever that even meant.

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electricsugargiggles@reddit

As someone who worked remotely for years and took covid seriously (I have a chronic illness and I don’t mess around), I would suggest you start easing into it now. Invest in some Loop earplugs if you need quiet to keep focus or if the sounds of people sneezing put you on edge. Think of specific comforts that will make this transition easier—for me, it was using ceramic mugs and dishes to give a cubicle a sense of personal warmth. Plants and pictures are always good too. Keep a mask, tissues, and sanitizer handy at your desk. Start small with exposure to high-volume places. This is easy to do now as we gear up for the holidays. A mall or grocery store will suffice. It will help you get used to people in your personal space and the hustle and bustle of things. Maybe start commuting to a place that is equidistant to your new office. Line up some audiobooks and podcasts to make it pleasant. You can get free access to audiobooks through the Libby and Hoopla apps. Spotify also has audiobooks but they have limited reading hours per month depending on your current plan (w the option to upgrade). When you get home, try to build a routine to help recharge after a long day. You may want to consider prepping for easy weeknight meals—we like to cook up a bunch of chicken breasts 2x/wk so we can easily add veggies or make a quick stir fry. Good luck! You’ve got this!

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Scalytor@reddit

I had been working from home for over a decade before covid hit. Then I got a new job where they liked people in the office so I had to adjust to that. But then the lockdowns happened, I got sent back home, and never looked back. Being in the office, especially this office, never worked for me. I felt anxious and isolated more than I ever had in my life. I had finally crossed the line from being one of the young people in the office to being one of the old people. This job was filled to the brim with college interns and people who had turned their internship into their first job and I had just turned 40. I had nothing in common with any of them and every day made it more painfully obvious. A large number of them suffered through the lockdowns and were desperate to get back in the office together, but I was finally back in my comfort zone. If I can help it I'll never work in an office again.

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strongerlynn@reddit

It really did a number on my mental health. Agoraphobia is hell. I hate this timeline.

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Cleanslate2@reddit

I never had it.

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Bluevanonthestreet@reddit

Yep. My son was diagnosed with his second rare disease the summer or 20 and we were in and out of the hospital for 2.5 years until he had surgery. We also moved during that time and had to establish all new specialists. We are always at a doctor. We’ve had to cut way back on a lot of activities and outings because of his health and mine. I’ve had long covid for over 4 years now.

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draculawater@reddit

I got really used to lockdown mode and enjoyed it for the most part. It was tough coming back out of it. Work forced me to first, but I still wasn’t going out and socializing for the most part. Meeting my current partner is what finally pulled me out regularly again, but I still have the desire to stay home most of the time. All I can say is it’ll take a while but I think eventually you’ll get used to it again and find a balance between your homebody days and others where you’re happy to get out here and there. Nothing wrong with that.

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Weird_Rip_3161@reddit

Fortunately, I never experienced any lockdown mode due to being in Florida.

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JunkHead1979@reddit

I'm a police dispatcher. I never experienced lockdown. My only change was wearing masks in public.

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Beanz4ever@reddit

Ooh me! I went from extrovert who always had a packed calendar to being stuck inside with my husband and two toddlers to two years. Now I loathe having to go places. I stopped wearing makeup and caring about fashion and never really picked it back up. Now I crochet and attend my kids' sports practices and occasional birthday celebrations. It has to be a VERY good reason to pry me away from my comfy clothes and peaceful home. Yesterday I took my kids to one of the last malls in my state and thought about how this is how we used to shop during the holidays, and how much easier it is to hop onto the computer and find exactly what you're looking for. We were wandering for two hours and still only managed to find 2 of the 3 things we went for. Covid changed my world completely!

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curiosityasmedicine@reddit

Yes, but it’s because catching COVID in 2020 absolutely destroyed my health and left me disabled, losing my career, my business, ending up bankrupt. I never had the privilege of exiting lockdown mode because I have to protect myself from reinfection to stay alive. I am only able to go out in public to attend medical appointments that can’t be done virtually. I wear an N95 mask around anyone who isn’t my husband, and he does the same to protect me. I recommend masking at least with a KN95 in public and at work since everyone is nasty now and goes out open mouth wet coughing thinking it’s some badge of honor. Your health and abled body are fragile and covid (still a pandemic) is a dangerous neuro-invasive vascular illness (not a respiratory infection) that sets up viral reservoirs throughout the organs and that mountains of research continuously shows causes long term damage and new chronic illnesses. Nobody is going to protect you but you; politicians, the ruling class, and the masses have made that abundantly clear.

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pixelpheasant@reddit

You were me, a year ago. Do all the prep the night before, and as much as possible the Sunday before. Leaving the house is hard; previously you had your parents and years of consecutive schooling, then work, to acclimate you. Now, to quote the kids, you're raw-dogging it all at once

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TheDeadlyCat@reddit

Work-from-home basement-dweller here. I still love it, but given I gave up my car during that time I spent most of my time at home. I have kids and a wife to not get lonely and my cat is always with me. That is why I make a point out of keeping contact with friends through a regular game night. I feel I am losing touch with the local population working in an international environment though. On the plus side, I learned to cook and eat healthier.

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violetstrainj@reddit

I was an essential worker, so my life didn’t change much. But I kept doing weird stuff (like buying a whole bunch of extra cheap art supplies and stuff to do my laundry at home in my tiny shitty apartment) that I was sure I was going to need, but never did. I donated all of the extra art supplies last week.

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fxpstclvrst@reddit

Lockdown life was basically my life before the pandemic, lol. That being said, I was a retail worker in 2020 and saw the worst behavior I had ever seen in 7 years of working customer service. I will never go back to that pit of vipers. They probably wouldn’t have me back either with the openly disrespectful to crap customers attitude I developed after Christmas 2020. I do work in a single office now but spent a few years doing office and retail work in a mask and being pleasant during the work day to my coworkers and not really socializing outside of that.

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SpoonwoodTangle@reddit

I was profoundly alone during the pandemic. Like “if I died, no one would know until they repossessed the house” kind of alone. While I’m very happy in my own space, that kind of isolation was not good for my mental health. Since then I’ve stopped taking my friends / family for granted. I make an effort to invite people out and generally check in on people. Suddenly I have more meaningful friendships and people like… care if I’m ok? I still kinda marvel at it. My neighbor noticed that I hadn’t moved my car in a week and they actually knocked on my door to check on me. Another neighbor gave me an extra loaf of bread last week. Like home-made bread, it’s delicious. I did not grow up with this (or any) kind of community. For the record, this does NOT come easily or naturally to me. I basically have to keep a list of names and a calendar to keep my ass organized. I would describe myself as “mostly” introverted, and I def have a limit on social activities I can handle in a week. But I invite folk out each week, sometimes to a local hang and sometimes to something different. Some weeks no one comes, other weeks we have a nice big group. I had to claw my way out of lockdown mode, like many folk I had gone full feral. My mental health was trash, I had to change something. But I’m so glad I did. It’s been pretty great.

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lemonheadlock@reddit

Lockdown was a dream come true for me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't happy there was a pandemic. I've been agoraphobic and mostly homebound for nearly 20 years. I'm on disability and it's difficult to even make doctor's appointments. So, during lockdown, it was like.. wow, everyone knows what it's like now! I don't *choose* to be stuck at home. I hate it. I worked at a bookstore and loved my job. People who thought I was just lazy and having it easy saw for themselves that being homebound wasn't at all like a permanent vacation. I didn't want anyone to be sick or die or get trauma (hell, I wound up with long covid, it's real and fucking destroys lives), but it was kind of relieving for everybody getting a taste of what my life is like. It's not fun to be afraid to leave the house. I also think WFH has been a blessing for many people, and as for me, two of my docs are still doing telehealth appointments, so that rocks. I don't think they do in-person at all anymore.

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CannibalCrowley@reddit

No, because as a blue collar worker, there was no lockdown.

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thesupineporcupine@reddit

A little bit in the sens that we’ve seem to have become home bodies, although we socialize, just not as much. This may also be due to the fact that we had two kids between 2018 and 2020. I work hybrid, only need to be in the office 3 days a month. My wife is 100% remote.

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AutomatedHVAC@reddit

I was let go Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I was with them 10 years I’m unemployed Terrified Starting over I’m 46m educated But losing this fight called life Engineering is my profession I am broke Unemployed Chicago Crazy wtf happened

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aliceinadreamyland@reddit

I was. I was unemployed for a couple of years after losing my remote job, and I’m a natural homebody anyways, so that just makes it worse. My first job was retail (long story but it was temporary), and the shock to my system was unreal. I was overwhelmed every single day. I got a different job in an office after and it was much better. I have another job now, public facing, and I’m able to handle it easily. Definitely try to acclimate yourself some before if you can. It’s a hard change. I’d go back to remote work in a hot second if I could find a job.

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Delta31_Heavy@reddit

M55 I don’t think there is anything stuck about it. For me, I enjoy going out but there are times when I just don’t want to see anyone or go out. My wife often travels to visit our daughters who go to college out of state. She has more vacation time than I do so she goes more than I do. When I drop her off I immediately drive home and “do my thing” which is putter around the house, watch some shows, play the guitar, and generally laze with my dogs on the couch. For the whole weekend. It’s my me time. I love my wife and kids but having a 2 day breather is very nice.

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Vintage_Visionary@reddit

Yes. Still in hermit mode. I am a homebody and never realized how much the pressure to be 'out' didn't work for me. I'm used to being at home now, and I've stayed. My goal is to get moved into a larger rental, and embrace my life as an 'indoor cat'. ![gif](giphy|5edvYDFDX1AFpED0OP)

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Paper-street-garage@reddit

Hell no could not wait to get back to normal after a 2 week break.

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Londin2021@reddit

Yes. I went through trauma relating to Covid and my health, losing my home. So I have stopped developing, I think due to PTSD

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Buttercreamdeath@reddit

I was lucky to have a job the whole time. It made me resent in person work. I never went back to the office. I've found new remote jobs anytime some dumb ass executive wants to bring up in person. Anyway. No. I've never returned to normal. Getting out for anything just really sucks. People are less considerate and attitudes are generally worse. I don't know if it was something I never noticed because we were all in a shitty grind, or if it escalated after COVID. There's no place like home. Literally.

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SJSsarah@reddit

Personally I flourished during the lockdown. I did things that I hadn’t done in over 10 years. Like flying in an airplane for a vacation. Bought my own home. I learned something truly pivotal during the lockdown, something I think a whole lot of other people learned too… That for some of us, the isolation is exactly what we needed to be able to recenter our lives on our own selves instead of pouring out all of our energy and mental/emotional resources on everything that it took to be “integrated into the public.” And you know what? It feels good, really good, to finally take care of myself rather than everyone else but myself. I’m not interested in ever going back to the way it used to be.

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ThisIsACompanyCar@reddit

I only got to work from home for a couple of months (teacher). But I did get used to not leaving the house for non essential reasons and I really enjoy social distancing. I have only been to one event other than my own kids school stuff and my own work stuff since March 2020.

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Appeal_Such@reddit

I’m working somewhere that once again requires masks. Which I’m fine with, but it’s does give me that same feeling of “oh crap here we go again”

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TheConsoleGeek@reddit

My job didn't change at all during COVID as I'm a first responder. I didn't have the luxury of staying home or getting days off, in fact I worked more than ever. When the restrictions lifted I kept working like before. I wish I could work from home but it's simply not possible.

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Jackobats_Wine_Jug@reddit

This is truly pathetic and I mean that with the sincerest of intent. It was fake and gay from the beginning and I feel really bad for the ones who couldn't see past the psyop. At least you didn't kill any grandma's though🤷🏼😉🤣

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blacksapphire08@reddit

Damn, hell of a way to admit you're insecure about your sexuality.

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Jackobats_Wine_Jug@reddit

Average cringe reddit comment

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Dry_Inspection_4583@reddit

Welcome back, and congratulations!!! 🎉 I decided to switch locations and position after COVID, I do two days in office and adjusted my hours to avoid humaning.

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No_Zombie2021@reddit

Still working from home. Would like to keep it that way.

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JorgeMcKay@reddit

I feel very seen in this post. I'm a health home case manager and my company realized they could save thousands of dollars by reducing their infrastructure, so we never returned to the office. Since then, lock down has become my way of life. No third or second space.

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hozezero@reddit

Yes. Very much, yes, for both my wife and myself. We both started working from home during the lockdown and never really went back to normal life. In June of 2024, I was offered an opportunity to change locations for the company I am working for from the US to Germany. To me, it was the only way for us to break out of the covid lockdown. It took 16 months of planning, but we finally did it. It feels like this is the first time we have lived again in the last six years. I know an extreme step, but I don't think we would have ever left "quarantine" if we didn't try.

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protossaccount@reddit

In remote and yeah, it feels like Covid only half ended. I’m best at in person work and I can work remote but I’m gonna change jobs soon, I need to be around people.

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Separate_Counter9427@reddit

Sure do. If you're the guy that still wears a face mask at the Shop Rite, it does nothing except giv you a false sense of security. Embrace germs. Take the George Carlin stance on them! And congrats and best of luck! You'll do fine.

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HughPajooped@reddit

Masks don't do anything? Tell your surgeons that the next time you're having surgery.

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80cartoonyall@reddit

Surgical masks are worn so that the surgeon's fluid from the mouth doesn't enter into the wounds. The standard medical mask filtration is 0.1 micron to 3-micron sized particles.Viruses are ultramicroscopic and generally range from 0.005 to 0.3 microns. A surgical mask won't stop a virus from going through it.

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Yoda-202@reddit

False. Learn about Brownian motion. Standard surgical masks are made from the same meltblown electrostatic filtration media as N95 masks. Their filtration doesn't work like a sieve. If you have a good seal with a surgical, and that's a big if, you're filtering virus sized particles.

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xxxjessicann00xxx@reddit

Imagine being weird enough to care if someone else is wearing a mask, with no expectations that you do the same. That's gotta be embarrassing.

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Yoda-202@reddit

![gif](giphy|3o85xnoIXebk3xYx4Q)

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nvmls@reddit

I WFH most of the time, I only go in 4 days a month plus if they need me to train someone. I live alone. I wore masks everywhere until about two years ago, now I just wear them in doctor's offices. I'm pretty happy.

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AUCE05@reddit

I am an introvert. I need to get out or I will go into full time hibernation mode.

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NighthawkCP@reddit

Nah, not really. The pandemic was the first time I got to WFH fully for a while and I definitely enjoyed it. Found new ways to do my job remotely that previously had to be done in person and got a lot of kudos for how we pivoted so quickly. We were only fully remote for about 4-5 months and then slowly started returning to work in small shifts. Because of WFH working so well, post-lockdown my team now gets a hybrid schedule where we get a WFH day once or twice a week. As for life outside and socializing, that curtailed during the lockdown obviously, but again only for a year maybe. A beer garden with a great kitchen opened near me in 2021 and it had a lot of outdoor seating, so it was a good option if you wanted to get a drink and sit outside and be less worried about catching something. I ended up hanging out there quite a bit and made some friends that I still hang out with regularly once or twice a week. My hobby was outdoor photography (birds and what not) so my group continued on Discord and we did hang outs, which again was a lot easier in the great outdoors. Post lockdown I do more socializing and going out than I ever did before. I've gone to a couple dozen concerts this year, most of them indoors. I've gone to see a show on Broadway this year, went to Disneyland, flown a half dozen times, been to a half dozen sporting events like NHL and NFL games, etc. I've been able to avoid getting sick and the only time I got Covid since the pandemic began was in 2023 when one of our kids brought it home from school. I don't mask up anymore unless I'm feeling unwell but I definitely get all my vaccinations and maintain other healthy habits, but otherwise I'm basically back to normal, maybe even more so than before. While I'm mostly an extrovert I definitely have some introvert tendencies, so I was pretty fine during lockdown just doing my own hobbies, playing games, hanging with my wife, kids, and cat, etc.

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RedSolez@reddit

I never got to enjoy lockdown- I had a 6 year old and twin 3 year olds at the time. I spent the first week of isolation potty training 2 children simultaneously. There was absolutely nothing fun about having to entertain 3 kids when we weren't allowed to go anywhere or see anyone. As someone who is extremely extroverted, the social isolation was pretty traumatic. I came close to a nervous breakdown. Then life reopened but never the same. I feel like I'm still out of rhythm in the sense that no one seems to be socializing at the same frequency they once did. All my friends are more homebody than they used to be, and a lot of public venues shut down or enshitified their offerings. I miss the old days. You're not the only one still feeling adrift!!

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lavasca@reddit

I am an extrovert. I definitely was harmed by being inside like that. Ironically it was hard to shift back to normality.

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PersianCatLover419@reddit

Yes it was not fun.

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affectionateanarchy8@reddit

Yes it is weird. I just dont feel right since the pandemic like i was already struggling professionally and now i cant seem to get in any kind of career groove and it is distressing

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MopingAppraiser@reddit

Lol

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ElfDestruct@reddit

I have been WFH ever since covid because our company got rid of its offices in my state at that point. Right as corona being a big issue was ending I started having problems with bad disc herniations and I had been barely able to walk around even to just go to the grocery store. I'm JUST NOW getting back to being able to go out and do things like a normal person.

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mahTV@reddit

I've been WFH since 2020. I quit in 2024 to take an in-office job on purpose because I "thought" I needed that type of social engagement back in my life. Oh boy you're not going to like the transition. The callouses we all developed from our life experiences in the 80s, 90s, and beyond are quick to return to frail flesh after years of creature comforts. I lasted 2 months before I took another WFH gig. I either need to change my industry to something I'm passionate about or I'll continue WFH. 9-10 hours a day in an office isn't as tolerable as it once was. It's soul crushing.

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Significant_Dog412@reddit

I feel like my overall lockdown experience was weird compared to others. The first couple of months I was working from home, and manning a frontline social care/local authority Duty line from my own home really got to me in a bad way that I did not anticipate. I admitted this to work and (perhaps due to my office being in a hospital with separate rooms) got the OK to travel back in and work from there. I found this much easier, as taking distressing/abusive/strange calls from the public is much easier in a space that's not your own imo. UK lockdowns were eased for a short time in the summer (Eat Out To Help Out was a mistake, but I can't deny enjoying it at the time) but even then, most people besides me kept working from home. When they were back, I was still able to commute and travel to the office and did this most days. Often I was the only one in. Train travel during lockdown was bliss as well. With this plus my Nephew still going to school as a key worker's kid, I did not have the long aimless weeks cooped up indoors to, I dunno, take up the bassoon or some odd lockdown hobby. For me, the initial build up and first weeks is my "where were you when" for COVID. No one around me got seriously ill with COVID, so again I feel like I had it easier than many. I like the option of working from home as a fall back and will over the Xmas days I'm actually working, but mostly prefer coming into the office.

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MotorcicleMpTNess@reddit

Kind of. I go to the office roughly 3X a week because I have to. I didn't during COVID. I do a weekly in person grocery shop to force myself to get out of the house and keep from going stir crazy. And, since we moved cities near the end of COVID, I am just now starting to force myself to go out a bit more and try to make new friends. But there's a sense now that every time I leave my house it's going to cost at least $100, and be frustrating and annoying, and I probably will regret it. I'm trying to get over that for my own mental health.

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bakedveldtland@reddit

I was an essential worker and then entered grad school while everyone was still masking, so I can't speak from my own experience. BUT one of my best friends was in lockdown mode until she landed an in-person FT job this past year. She was pretty nervous about it- she lived in a pretty remote area and moved back to our hometown for the job, so at least she was comfortable with the community. Health anxiety was a big factor for her- she has two kids and she and her husband became extremely protective of them during the pandemic because they lived in a community that wasn't very respectful to people that wanted to be cautious and wear masks. I saw her a few times after 2020, and even when everyone was vaccinated, she and her fam masked up around me, even outdoors. I didn't question her about it, gotta let people do their thing. It didn't take them long to get back into the swing of things, though! I just met up with them at Disney Springs a couple of weekends ago and we had a great time. They haven't masked basically since shortly after she got the job. I'm glad she was able to get past that anxiety! I missed her face! Congratulations on the job! Don't worry about feeling awkward at first, you'll get past it quickly, I'm sure!

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Fair-Flower6907@reddit

My husband has been fulltime WFH since the lockdown (we moved in mid 2020). He still has to go into the office for a week every 3-4 months. I know he misses it but our current living situation is so much better than before and we'd never move back.

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Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

I have been in this mode for near a decade. Covid was a blip. Life and reason broke and I've not been able to make sense of anything since.

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Loop22one@reddit

No - was out of it by mid-2021, at the first opportunity (if not before)…. Hope the new job goes well!

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throwawayfromPA1701@reddit

I hated lockdown mode. I wanted to go back to the office because working from home sucked for me. I also missed real socializing, going to happy hour every Friday, etc. Doing that on zoom or FaceTime sucks. I also live a great distance outside of town so it was part of my routine and that just ceased in March 2020. But, I was the most productive I've ever been. We eventually went hybrid in 2021,one of the first employers in my area to return, and it's worked ok since. I'd come in more days but my coworkers love it and management is just itching to full time RTO so I'm worried if I came in more they'd see that as a sign to ruin it for everyone. I like my coworkers, so I wouldn't want to be the catalyst for that. Also, I'm not leaving because I have a pension I'm fully vested in and in 4 years I'll get my Healthcare guaranteed. It's financially stupid to leave. So, I suck it up. I'll reevaluate when I reach the 25 year mark in 4 years. Would I feel differently if I had a family? Maybe. But I don't, and won't so I'm a little stuck. I do at least get to do a little bit of socializing again, but I tie it to a work trip in because I still live a distance away and missed out on the 3% mortgages because so many were buying sight unseen and now rents are ridiculous. Small town living kind of sucks.

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BadAtExisting@reddit

Nope! I don’t have a job where wfh was a possibility. I had to go to work and while we had to practice social distancing I still had to interact with the world and its people. I’m happy I never got to work from home I didn’t lose whatever part of myself that it seems like everyone else did. I still like going out and experiencing doing things doesn’t matter if it’s errands like shopping or movies or restaurants I would still rather go and do than pay an extra fee for someone bring it to me and not leave my house

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Iamthegreenheather@reddit

Yes, I had been working at a large bank all through Covid. It eventually became a hybrid job with three days in the office and two from home. It became a horrible job though so I took a new job in 2024 that was 100% working in the office (you can occasionally work remote if needed). It's been a hard adjustment because I discovered that I developed some social anxiety during Covid, so that's been a challenge, and now I have about an hour commute each way. It's a better job overall though, so I'm glad I made the change. When I first started I took it one day at a time and my goal was to get through the whole week without calling out or working from home. It's been about a year and a half now and I feel so much better. I'm in my mid 40s in case that's helpful. You can do it! It's just going to suck at first.

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Bubbly-Main2016@reddit

LDM and got to say I love it.. few friends and family but homes me and wife’s kingdom.

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Yellow_Curry@reddit

I used to hate working from home and then in late 2019 I did some consulting which then got weird during covid. Bounced jobs for a while but still working remotely or maybe one day in person every few weeks. I really came to love working from home and the flexibility but with a new job and an office I love getting out of the house again. But definitely in moderation. 3 days a week is perfect. But my commute is super easy.

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LKayRB@reddit

I was in a customer facing role during the pandemic (save for 30 days), and I feel like I’ve gone into lockdown mode. I now wfh, hate going out, do drive up ordering for groceries, hate crowds, I basically avoid leaving the house unless I have to.

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nopester24@reddit

nope

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drainbamage1011@reddit

I got back to work in office after about a year...not really an official mandate so much as people getting cabin fever and trickling back in voluntarily, and management openly expressing suspicion at the few WFH holdouts. I do still have the ability to WFH within reason, which is nice when the kid is sick, waiting on a repairman, etc. There were bad habits in our at-home life that we had to get out of. Both of us let our drinking habits get out of hand during lockdown. I had a bad night towards the end of 2020 and cut myself back to a more reasonable level of consumption, wife eventually went fully sober. Likewise, we got lazy on keeping the house clean, because fuck it, no one's coming over. And the ease of impulse-buying stuff online without having to set foot in a store. I've been trying really hard to declutter everything.

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Kingh82@reddit

I was hybrid before the pandemic and built a home office in the bottom of the Garden just before the pandemic started. Its better equipped than any office I've been to so notna chance I will be onside if there is an online option for meetings. I do try to get onside once a month for a white board session with my team as I find it boosts morale.

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byte_handle@reddit

At my work, we had to return to the office a few months after my vaccination, although there are certain days we can work remotely during the year. My girlfriend left her job over the return to work mandates, partly because being able to work remotely for 2 days/week was a perk to get her to sign on initially, and because the return to work order came from the top, that perk was cancelled. She left her job for a 100% remote job with the ASPCA and never looked back. But she and I don't go out as much as we did before the pandemic. We have to specifically make plans to do so, and it didn't bother us much to cancel a planned lunch date on Sunday when 5 inches of snow fell the night before and the roads in our neighborhood still weren't plowed by midday. We still stream movies instead of going to the theater (it's cheaper, we can pause for bathroom breaks, and we can snuggle with the dogs during the show). I picked up new pandemic-friendly hobbies and didn't want to return to old ones, so I drifted away from some acquaintances. I still get groceries delivered or do curbside pickup instead of shopping because it's just easier and I can afford the convenience. One of her dogs was always afraid of me; she was rescued from a puppy mill that got raided by police, and my girlfriend adopted her. Being home all the time and the two of us moving in together helped her slowly overcome her anxiety around me, and now she's acting like a normal dog in my presence and she's happy to come to me for attention. In her eyes, I'm the second-best person in the world. So, I wouldn't say I'm in lockdown mode entirely, but my life is definitely not the way it was before.

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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

Sometimes I wish I were. Busy beee these days

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Dixie1117@reddit

Not me. But my brother is. Still works from home, sanitizes many many things, and washes his hands a million times even though he doesn’t leave the house.

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pseudonymmed@reddit

Nope. I couldn’t wait to go out again and explore and socialise. I work from home but I started volunteering at a makerspace as soon as things opened up again just so I could feel less isolated.

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Sandkat@reddit

I ended up taking a seasonal part-time job, working once a week at a local ski resort working as an instructor as a way of getting out and socializing with people more since my day job is remote. It's done wonders for my social life and mental health, made many new friends both younger and older.

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Stsberi97@reddit

You lost me at the first sentence. It’s been how long since COVID started!!!

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Gia_Lavender@reddit

The first few weeks of lockdown I slept so much and ended up healing from various ailments I hadn’t even registered as a problem. I didn’t realize my work schedule and lifestyle was so healthy I will not be returning to that lifestyle again unless it’s temporary.

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Reuven080@reddit

No, but congrats on the job! Meeting people and being out will keep life interesting, fun and balanced.

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elektrik_noise@reddit

Congrats on the new job! We all know it's been such a struggle for anyone to find work that doesn't keep them underemployed in this economy. Personally, yes, I'm still totally there. I'm WFH and, tbh, I was extremely lucky in that my household didn't suffer any major consequences during the pandemic. My husband, legit and it's not a put on, is my best friend. We didn't get on each other's nerves. We transformed our "junk" bedroom into a working space and we were able to have our own respective spaces to work and veg out. I've been disgusted by the social breakdown post-pandemic. It grates me in a way that spending too much time outside the house starts to get me dysregulated and anxious/irritable. I've always enjoyed my alone time, as socializing, while important, drains my battery rather than charging it. I like my home, I like decorating for Halloween and Christmas, and enjoying my books/tv shows/movies. I keep myself in shape and outside the home people don't clock how much I don't rub elbows with society at large. The only thing I still do, and is my main outside of the house hobby, is going to concerts. I find them to be solo activities even though it's in a crowd. I betray my teens and 20s- self and enjoy having a seat. Even though, yeah, we still stand, I have my bubble. It's mine, lol. And I don't talk to anyone at the shows for the most part aside from my husband if he's with me. I go to plenty alone. Idk, I'm pretty damn content with where I'm at. I'm actually physically and mentally the best I've ever been in my life. I think the isolation of the pandemic fucked people up the most they've ever been in their lives. And i sympathize with it. But like OP, lockdowns opened a door for some of us introverts to live the life we've always wanted lol.

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erino3120@reddit

Yup. Packed up my office in 2020 and never went back to one. Went from traveling weekly to maybe yearly. I worked remotely for two years and then left my industry altogether. I’ll never go to a cubicle again.

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IndyDude11@reddit

Never got into lockdown mode outside the first few months. Life was pretty much back to normal by the end of 2020 locally.

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mackattacknj83@reddit

I'm never going back if I can help it. Between my wife and I rarely going into the office we put together a poor man's stay at home parent. Saves too much money in too many ways for me to give it up willingly.

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jaywinner@reddit

I wouldn't say stuck. Covid forced my job to go remote which in turn led me to rely more on delivery for things like groceries. I've found this to be quite convenient and I still go out from time to time. So still close to lockdown mode but I like it that way.

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marathonrunner79@reddit

Sorta. I have been working at home for 11 years. The main difference has been a concern about catching the virus. My husband and I are immunocompromised. We still disinfect everything.

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lifeuncommon@reddit

I had been full time WAH for about a decade before the pandemic began. And I was an introvert. So while my life wasn’t vastly different during the height of the pandemic, it’s still been hard to get back out there. But yes, working in person IS so much more taxing and exhausting (if you’re an introvert) than you remember.

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CalliopePenelope@reddit

I am required to be in-office one day per week. After years of never getting sick during the winter, I immediately got sick after going into work. The commute’s worse than it ever was before COVID on the days I do have to go in. Beyond that, I’m not in lockdown mode anymore, as I still have to do so may other things in person, but definitely take better advantage of the services that popped up during COVID, like grocery delivery and online doctor’s visits and Microsoft Teams.

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bikeonychus@reddit

I'm a SAHM (fucking thanks a lot, pandemic...), and my husband is in a hybrid WFH situation. They are supposed to go in at least 2 days a week, but he goes in one day a week and as he's the team manager, it means his team only goes in one day a week. I think he'd like to be in more, but he understands that a lot of his team wants to be WFH, and if he goes in more, they will have to too. A lot of folks there had pandemic babies, and it's very difficult to find childcare in our area, despite huge government subsidies that means it's only about $8 a day - there's just not enough daycare spots. If they abolished WFH at his office, they'd lose a large chunk of their senior staff right about now, and it's been exceptionally difficult to hire actual senior people lately (AI really screwing with applications for the specific type of work.)

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sloppypickles@reddit

I think it's a combo of a few things. Def got more comfortable staying in and entertaining myself. Everything outside became quite a bit more expensive and a night out to say a restaurant for example might kill your weekly bullshit money budget and then ya have nothing to show for it. I got better at making food at home during covid so now any time I want fancy food id much rather do it at home. Plus I think our age has something to do with it too. Call me old but I really don't miss that socialization anymore. I loved going out during my 20's and 30's, since 40 hit I just get annoyed out in public.

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